Waste My Time
by SerenityChaos
Summary: Our Virtual Season 5 Ep One: Craig and Ellie get closer over the summer, but what happens to their new relationship when Marco returns to town? Even worse, what will happen when Craig begins to have feelings for both Ellie and Marco? Crellie,Craco,Mellie?
1. Scene 1

Serenity and Chaos' Virtual Season 5 Series

Episode 1: Waste My Time

Part 1

Craig shifted uncomfortably in his chair, aware of all the attention that was currently on him. He hated therapy group sometimes. He knew it did him some good, but it was weird. "It has been getting easier," he continued his turn speaking. "Except Joey…" he smiled slightly as he amended that to, "My dad has been a little…smothering. Like he's afraid that I'm going to just take off again at any moment." He lowered his gaze guiltily. "Not like he doesn't have the right to worry. I'm not going to do that again, but I understand why he worries about it. He's just making it so hard for me to do anything. Sometimes it's like he doesn't even want me to leave the house at all. Even coming here. He insists on driving me and picking me up after. He says that it's not a punishment, that he's just worried. And I appreciate that…" he hesitated, "…sort of. I like that he cares and is worried, but I just want him to let me be 'normal' again, you know?"

He looked up as a new person joined the group.

Ellie.

Ellie quickly got the feeling that she was interrupting something as she entered the therapy meeting. Late again. "Sorry," she apologized to Craig as she took her seat. "My mom's a little sick so I had to walk today," she explained as she nervously glanced at Craig. She wasn't sure if he was totally comfortable being in the same group as her, though he did seem to be adjusting to the idea a little bit at a time. She knew first hand how difficult it could be to open up to strangers, let alone someone that you had to face every day at school. She tried to remain as non-intrusive as possible as far as Craig went. She quickly averted her eyes before Craig could realize that she was practically staring at him. She pretended to be looking at the clock behind him instead. She was much later than she thought. The meeting was almost over already. She may as well not even bothered coming. Worse her entrance seemed to have brought the room to a dead silence, except for the tick of the clock. For lack of anything better to do with her hands and because the silence was so unnerving, she began to mindlessly snap one of the rubber bands around her wrist.

Craig gave her a weak smile as he settled back in his chair while the therapist brought the meeting to a close.

"So how does that make you feeeeeel?" Craig mimicked their therapist to Ellie a few minutes later as they made their way out of the therapy room. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother coming to these things. Other than that it would totally flip Joey out if I told him I didn't want to anymore. He'd probably think that I'm just avoiding or something."

He sighed. Speaking of avoiding, he was tempted to ask Ellie if she'd heard from Ashley all summer. It was probably for the best that she'd never called or written. He didn't know what he'd say. It was just that he had no idea where they stood. He couldn't help but feel, though, that this time they were done for good. The virus had stricken. Still, it had been a long, lonely summer. Especially with Marco and Jimmy both gone, too. Which was the only reason that he hadn't asked to stop going to group. Sure it sucked, but at least it let him be at least semi-social.

"So...Joey should be picking me up any minute," he sighed as they made their way outside. "I don't suppose you want a ride...or like to come over and hang out or something? Did that sound desperate?" He paused for a moment before adding, "Because it kind of was. Save me?" He flashed what he hoped was a charming smile.

Ellie gave a weak laugh and for the first time all summer she actually smiled. "Well I don't really have anyone coming to get me today so I guess that I could use the ride. And I suppose that hanging out with you isn't too terrible as long as I'm getting a ride out of it," she smiled to let him know that it was a joke. "But since you are desperate, I would love it." She had the feeling that there was something more on his mind, but he didn't say anything. She figured that he was probably thinking about Ashley. She didn't know why, but she felt a small twinge of disappointment. She quickly brushed it off, though, realizing how silly it was.

"You have totally saved my life," Craig told her as if it had been some sort of life-or-death situation. Which if it were possible to die of boredom, it just might have been. It was weird. He and Ellie had been 'sort of friends' for a while, but it was mostly because they both hung out with Marco…or Ashley. It was never really just the two of them. Which, he thought, was really too bad. Ellie seemed pretty cool. He thought. Except that he wasn't really sure what to talk about with her other then…well…Ashley. Or Marco. But he'd save those topics for later, when he was truly desperate. "So," he started awkwardly, "how's your summer been?" Was he really so lame that he had to resort to that? He stifled the wince and smiled brightly, pretending that he wasn't being a social moron.

Ellie's smile faded at his questions. She cleared her throat nervously and forced herself to look at him. "It's been…uh…interesting. In a boring…lonely sort of way. It really sucks not having Marco around." Ashley, too, but for some reason she didn't completely understand, she really didn't want to mention her name to Craig. "This is the first summer we haven't been together since we started this school. I imagine that the band isn't doing so well without him either…Not that the band isn't great with just you," she quickly amended, knowing from what Marco said that Craig was extremely serious about that.

Craig nodded sympathetically at the first part. Lonely totally sucks. "I know. This is the first time I've ever actually wished for summer vacation to end!" he agreed in an overly exaggerated groan. "But not anymore. Because you and me? We're going to have the best vacation ever. Everyone else is going to be so jealous when we compare our vacations." He flashed another bright smile, knowing it was hardly convincing. "When they come back from Paris…and the Caribbean, and wherever else they've gone." Even less convincing. "Marco's due back some time this week, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. So what have you been doing all summer? Write any new songs?" she asked, not really wanting to dwell on things and changing the subject.

"Yeah. Several. If you call the garbage that's been coming out songs," he admitted a little reluctantly. "Have you ever noticed that nothing much rhymes with 'virus'?" he quipped. "I really need a new muse..."

Was he talking about Ashley? A little surprised, but not sure if maybe she was misunderstanding, Ellie, cleared her throat and looked away. "Well when you do write something good, let me know. I would love to hear you play," she quickly turned the conversation away from Ash and hoped that he wouldn't notice. "You are actually pretty good."

He smiled widely at the compliment. "Thanks. You're not bad yourself. That song you guys did last year? Even if the lyrics were so wrong," he poked fun at himself a little, offering a little smile to let her know that he knew he was full of it. "You really rocked out. We should jam. Or work on a new song or something."

Yes! His mind started working overtime again. He had ideas. Oh so many ideas. But he'd been stuck without anyone to bounce things off of. And there was the whole prospect that there might not really be a band anymore. Ashley was out. He wasn't going to make that mistake again. And Jimmy? Craig wasn't sure that Jimmy was ever going to come back to the band. He hadn't given a definitive answer when Craig had suggested it. It wasn't like he would have to stand up to play guitar, but Craig could understand why he might not want to come back anyway. Especially if Spinner came back on the drums.

He realized that Ellie was speaking and quickly turned his attention back to her.

"Yeah, sorry about that. It wasn't anything personal, I hope you know that. And you really deserved to win. I admit that I was a little vicious with all of the snide little comments that I kept making. But Ash is my best friend so..." Ellie quickly looked away, feeling a little odd bringing up Ashley when she really had not wanted to do that at all. "I'm just... sorry," she finished awkwardly. "But yeah, we should jam sometime. Although I can't promise that I will be any good. I haven't really had much experience outside of the competition."

That surprised Craig and he raised an eyebrow. "If you do that well without much experience, just imagine what you'll be like after you practice a while," he said, mulling that over. Maybe she could take over lead guitar if Jimmy decided not to come back. Or she could stay on base and Marco could play lead…That could work. He looked up as Joey's newest car rolled up beside them. He opened the door for Ellie, then realized he really should ask. "Hey, Joey? Is it okay if Ellie comes over for a while?"

Joey gave Ellie a long look, keeping a straight face. "I don't know…" Then he broke into a smile. "Of course she can. That's great. We can order some pizza. Maybe watch a movie?"

Craig bit his lip and tried to figure out a way to let Joey down easily. Ever since Caitlyn left he'd been a little…clingy. Which he did understand--Joey'd been about as lonely as Craig himself. But Craig was sure that Ellie didn't want to get stuck listening to Joey's lovesick stories all night.

Ellie noticed Craig's look and gave a weak laugh. "That sounds great. And then maybe later you can further my band experience," she teased as she got into the car.

"Oooh! A rocker!" Joey said, impressed. He gave Craig a sly look. "Did Craig tell you that I was in a band back in high school?"

He ignored a little moan coming from Craig as he began to sing Zit Remedy's infamous song for her. "Everybody wants something…"

If Craig could die right now, he was sure that it would not be soon enough. He cringed as Joey even drummed out the beat on the steering wheel as he sang. "I'm soooo sorry, Ellie," he mouthed to her with an apologetic smile.

About the time they arrived home, Joey finally reached the end of his performance. Thank God.

"Anyway, if you guys want a keyboardist..." he look back at Craig, "don't worry, don't worry, I won't salt your game or anything, just...if you want. You know where to find me," he let them off the hook. "Let me know when you guys want some dinner and I'll call it in. Okay? Have fun." He knew that he'd probably really embarrassed Craig, but figured it was good for the kid.

"Thanks for the ride," Ellie called after Joey before turning to Craig. "So, what should we do?" she asked, feeling a little disbelief that she was actually there, with Craig…Alone. Without being there on a mission for Ashley. She honestly never thought she'd be at his house again. Hanging out instead of asking him to call his worried girlfriend.

Craig led her into the garage, which had become not just his band practice space but his 'home away from Joey'. He flopped down on the small couch and patted the spot beside him to indicate she should sit as well. "Sorry about Joey, he can be a little…" he really couldn't come up with the right word to describe Joey. He smiled a little thinking of his adoptive dad. "Weird," he finally settled on. "But he's a good guy." He noticed that all of his 'in progress' songs were spread all over the table, labeled such things as "Queen of Doom" and "Influenza". He quickly collected them up into a neater pile, partially because they were taking up most of the table space, but also because Ellie was Ashley's best friend and the songs were obviously more than a little bitter.

Ellie sat down next to Craig, feeling a bit awkward. They'd never really talked much before today, and yet here she was in his garage. How had this happened again? "Joey's fine. He seems really nice. So…was there something you wanted to play or did you want to just talk or something?"

Honestly, Craig wanted to talk, but he had no idea what to say. "We've never really just hung out before." He felt like such an idiot. Why couldn't he just talk to her like a normal person, not a socially inept loser? They were friends. At least by proxy. He shook his head. "Sorry. I swear I am so lame sometimes." He picked up his guitar nervously and started playing the first few lines of the song he'd most recently been working on. "Influenza". But like Ellie really wanted to just come over and watch him play guitar and write songs? He looked back over at her, embarrassed. "Sorry. I don't know why I'm so…nervous." Which he was definitely nervous. His leg was bouncing, even. He made a conscious effort to stop that. "I think I've lost all my social skills this summer," he joked, smiling at her. "You want to maybe help me out with this song? There's something not quite right with the melody and I've been having trouble with the lyrics. They're really…well…they're really crappy," he admitted, glancing at the page.

"Aww, don't say that. I am sure that you will figure it out. I don't really know much about this kind of thing, but maybe you just need to change the direction that you are going in. Or... find an inspiration source. Like nature or something."

Craig caught himself staring at her for a few moments. An inspiration source? She was right, of course, because Ashley just wasn't it anymore. He nodded slowly, mulling it over. "A new inspiration source…"

Nature. Okay. So…trees. Rocks. Yeah, this wasn't going to work. He frowned with frustration then looked over at her as she picked up a pencil and leaned over a page, tapping the pencil lightly against the table. He was struck for a moment by how sad her eyes were, even when she looked up a moment later and gave him a shy smile as she caught him watching her.

His head cocked to the side as he noticed the way her hair shined, even in the darkness of the garage.

An inspiration source.

They exchanged shy smiles and leaned over the page, getting to work.


	2. Scene 2

Marco couldn't believe that he was actually home! He stepped on his tiptoes trying to see past the many people in front of him, hoping to catch a glimpse of his parents. And then there they were. His ma was standing on her tiptoes to try to see him, too. His papa was just standing there beside her, but he had a very excited look on his face, as he often did. Sometimes he thought his papa had the most expressive face in the world.

His ma had not spotted him yet, but he couldn't stay on his toes and walk so he opted for walking. He felt Cam squeeze his hand and looked up at his friend with a smile.

"So your mom or your dad?" Cam asked, grinning down at Marco.

"They're both here," Marco answered with a little laugh. "And…Aaron or Derek?" he asked, with a little roll of his eyes. He liked Cameron a lot, but he had totally different ideas about romance. He subscribed to much the same theory as Dylan did. Maybe he should introduce the two of them.

"Would you believe Aaron, Derek, and Martin?" Cam asked giving Marco a devilish grin.

Marco gave him what he hoped was a sufficient enough 'you are so disturbed' look.

"What? Hey, maybe it's not for you, but…it's not like they don't know about each other." He laughed when Marco still looked really doubtful. "You should think about joining us sometime," he gave Marco a wink. And laughed harder as Marco's eyes widen a little. His laughter is infectious, though, and Marco found himself laughing, too.

"A world of no," Marco answered, still shaking his head. Cam was a cool new friend, but there was no way Marco would ever think of going out with him. Or his boyfriends. Like ever. For one, he was a couple years older than Dylan, even. For another, Marco really didn't think he'd deal well 'sharing' with the rest of his boyfriends. It was definitely better that they all knew about each other, but…that just wasn't Marco's idea of a relationship. "But thanks."

"Anytime. Call me. I mean it. C'mere."

Marco dropped his bag as Cam suddenly grabbed him up off the ground. He hugged Marco tight and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Marco become aware that someone else was standing right behind him. When Cam let him go, he glanced back over his shoulder.

And found himself staring into his papa's over expressive face.

Which was not smiling anymore.

Not even a little.

He looked really upset.

Marco stared back at him, swallowing hard.

"You must be Mr. Del Rossi!" Cam greeted him, oblivious to any possible problem. He practically grabbed Mr. Del Rossi's hand and shook it. "I can't even begin to tell you what an asset Marco's been this summer. I really hope he comes back next year. He really encouraged a lot of people to want to learn more AIDS prevention, and was quite innovative with ways to draw more people in."

Marco cringed inwardly as Cam continued praising him to his papa. While he appreciated the kind words, he feared that his papa wouldn't see it the same way at all. He hadn't exactly told his dad what it was that he was doing on this trip. But Cam kept right on talking, completely unaware of the rage that Marco can see growing in his papa's eyes. "You must be so proud of your son."

There was a brief moment after Cam finally stopped talking where Marco swore that the earth stood still. He waited for his papa to explode. Instead, a big smile flashed across his face. It wasn't a good smile, but to one who didn't know him, it might pass for one. Which apparently it did.

"We always were proud of Marco," Mr. Del Rossi said. Marco didn't miss the past tense. Cam either did, or assumed it to mean that it hadn't taken Marco being part of the AIDS project to make his father proud.

Marco found himself enveloped once again in a tight Cam-hug and closed his eyes as Cameron kissed his cheek again, then worse, another kiss was planted…on his lips. In front of his papa. "Well, you take care, Sweetie," Cameron said, tenderly brushing the hair out of Marco's eyes. "I'm going to miss you. You better call me. You still have my number, right?"

Marco nodded mutely, unable to speak as his eyes stayed frozen on his papa's fake smile. He felt his eyes growing wet, but it wasn't for the reason that Cameron assumed a moment later.

"Oh, baby, don't cry. We'll still see each other! I'm only an hour drive away. And remember my offer! There's always room for one more on my dance card," he teased Marco, trying to get the younger boy to smile. He didn't notice that the smile Marco offered him was completely false.

And then Cam was gone, leaving Marco alone to face his papa.

For a moment, Marco and his papa just looked at each other silently. Then his father silently picked up Marco's bag and started walking away. Marco saw him pass right by his ma, who stayed back the entire time. He could see now that her cheeks were streaked with tears. She knew as well as Marco did that this was not going to go well at all.


	3. Scene 3

Marco was supposed to be home today. Ellie couldn't wait to talk to him. She'd gotten all his postcards, of course, but he'd been out of phone contact all summer, and she hadn't even been able to send him anything as he never knew where he was going to be more than a few days ahead of time. His flight was supposed to have touched down a couple hours ago, but she'd made herself wait to call, knowing that his parents were probably fussing over him and everything. Figuring she'd waited long enough, she sprawled out on her bed and picked up her cell phone, dialing his number.

"Hello?" Mr. Del Rossi answered the phone. His voice sounded strange to Ellie, but maybe it was just that she hadn't heard it in several months.

"Hi, Mr. Del Rossi. Is Marco home?"

"There is no Marco here." Ellie was startled as the man slammed down the phone.

Okay, what was that about? Ellie frowned as she closed her cell phone and stood up. She should go over there and find out what was going on. Or maybe that would be too intrusive. Still…maybe she should try his cell. She opened her cell again and dialed his number, hoping that he would answer. She didn't know what was going on, but from the way his dad had sounded, she figured it couldn't be good.

"This is Marco's cell. I'm not turned on or Marco would be answering me. Talk to me anyway. I'm way cooler than him." Beep

"Ugh," Ellie grumbled frustrated as she closed the phone for the second time. If she went to his house and his dad was upset about something, she would probably only make things worse. And that was if Mr. Del Rossi even let her in. Maybe she should ask someone what she should do. But who? Ashley wasn't back yet. And while she and Paige were getting along a little better lately, she still wouldn't exactly consider her a friend. Usually Marco was the one she'd ask this sort of thing to, but obviously that was the problem. Maybe Craig would know what to do, she decided. He was one of Marco's best friends, and she had gotten pretty close to him over the past week.

Coming to a decision, she threw her cell down on the bed and headed off to find Craig.

Craig adjusted the cords and tried the sequence again, nodding a little at the new sound. Definitely better. He took the pencil from his mouth and jotted down a few notes on the page before popping the pencil back in his mouth to try it one more time. It was definitely better than anything he'd done all summer. Thanks to his new inspiration.

He was startled when he heard her voice calling to him. "Craig, are you busy?"

He'd been so into the new song that he hadn't heard her come in, but he was glad she was there. He quickly took the pencil out of his mouth again and set it on the table, hoping she didn't notice as he quickly shuffled the pile of pages—covering the lyric sheet of his latest song. "No, not busy at all! Come on it!" he called out, looking around to make sure that there was nothing else incriminating lying around. "Hey! What's up?" he greeted as he took the guitar strap off and set his instrument down.

"I'm not really sure," she answered carefully. "Marco was supposed to get back today but when I tried calling his house…his dad hung up on me. So I tried calling his cell and he isn't answering. I think…" she hesitated, wondering if maybe she was just overreacting. No. Mr. Del Rossi had been really weird. "I think that something is really wrong, but I don't know what to do about it. I'm really worried."

Craig frowned. "Maybe he's just sleeping or something. Jet lag and all," he suggested, even though he suspected that by the way she was clearly worried that there was something more to it. He'd been sort-of friends with Ellie for a while, and in the past week had spent a lot of time getting to know her a whole lot better and…Ellie Nash didn't usually appear worried unless there was good reason to. "So, he just hung up on you?" he repeated back to her questioningly, thinking that it didn't sound like the full story.

"Well, he also said that Marco wasn't there. It's not so much that, but…the way he said it." She shook her head. "Nevermind. You probably think that I am totally overreacting. You're right. There's probably nothing to worry about. I'm sorry for interrupting whatever it was you were doing. Thanks, but I should go now…so you can get back to your music. Are you getting anywhere with it, by the way?" she asked, feeling guilty that she'd come over only to talk about Marco.

"Actually, it's going great. Thanks for your advice, it's really working out for me," he smiled up at her. He was tempted to sing it for her, but it wasn't quite ready, and since it was about her, it just seemed that he should wait to play it when it was perfect. Besides, there was something more important afoot. "Ellie, in all the time I've known you, you've never struck me as an 'overreacting' sort. Quite the opposite actually. So, if you think there's something wrong, maybe I should try calling." He picked up his cell and dialed Marco's number. There was no answer at all at the home number, and his cell went directly to his voice messaging. Craig left him a quick message and hung up, disappointed, and a little worried. Normally he wouldn't have been, but Ellie's concern had rubbed off on him.

"Well, he should call me as soon as he gets the message," he told Ellie as he put his phone away. There was really nothing for them to do but wait until they heard back from him. Craig began to pace, his concern growing a little more as he played over Ellie's words again in his head. "You think maybe we should go over and see him?" he asked, but then thought better of it. "Maybe we should just stay here and watch a movie or something to keep our minds off it. He's probably just jet lagged and sleeping it off."

Ellie sighed, but nodded. "I don't think it will do any good to go, either. If Marco is in trouble or something, we'll probably only make things worse if we go. But I'm too worried to concentrate on a movie. I think I'll just…go." She was silent for a moment then looked back at Craig. "Thanks. You know…for everything."

Craig knew he hadn't really done anything, but smiled anyway. "Of course. Any time!" he said, pulling her into a hug. "I know. I'm worried too, but it's probably nothing. I'm sure he'll call soon." He hugged her for what he began to realize was probably a few moments too long to qualify as a comfort hug. He also caught himself looking at her lips. He was such a jerk sometimes, he berated himself. The King of Bad Timing. He redirected the kiss that he'd been tempted to give her to her forehead and released her from the hug. "I'm not really in the mood for a movie, either but we should…do something. We'll drive ourselves crazy if we just sit here waiting for him to call."

Ellie just looked up at him in confusion. For a moment, she'd actually thought he was going to kiss her. Yeah right. Why would he want to do that? She chided herself silently, feeling foolish for even thinking it. "Uh…sure," she replied, trying to disguise her disappointment. Then she shook her head. "No. I really should go," she turned quickly, hoping he wouldn't notice how upset she was. "I am sorry for bothering you…" She had to get out. Fast. Before he figured it out.

"No!" Craig blurted out, quickly snagging her arm to stop her. "I mean…stay. You're not bothering me." He hoped he didn't freak her out, grabbing her like that. Not that he grabbed her, grabbed her. Well, okay, he sort of had, but it wasn't in a bad way. "Marco's going to call here, anyway," he reminded her. "You should stay." Because that was the whole reason he wanted her to. Right.

Ellie stared at him for a moment, then almost holding her breath she looked him intensely, straight in the eyes. "Craig…give me another reason to stay."

Craig swallowed nervously, trying to decide if she was maybe as interested as he was. He decided to take a chance. "Stay because I want you to stay," he said, cautiously stepping closer. Watching her lips, he slowly leaned in, afraid that she was going to pull away. "Ellie, I…" he hesitated just before their lips met. And cursed himself for it a moment later when his cell phone rang.

Marco? He stepped back quickly and answered, giving Ellie a grin as if to say 'see'? But his grin froze as he heard someone else's voice on the line. Someone he'd rather not hear from. The virus herself. Why hadn't he checked the caller ID? Stupid!

"Ashley," he greeted her flatly, giving Ellie an apologetic look. He heard Ash's excited voice telling him something, but he really wasn't paying attention at first. He was getting a little mad that she was seeming to act like the last time she'd spoken to him she hadn't ripped his heart out of his chest, spat on it, and stomped on it a few times. But then something caught his attention and he had to stop her and back up. "Wait…what did you say?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in person, but I just...I'm not coming home. I got accepted for fall semester and I'm staying here. It's an incredible opportunity."

"Yeah. Incredible," he agreed, though he really couldn't get excited. "So…that's it? You're just staying there? That's…great, Ash," he feigned excitement for her. It wasn't that he wanted her back, but…it would be good to get some sort of closure. So he could move on. His eyes darted guiltily over toward Ellie.

"So…" he said at the same time that she said, "So…" He decided to let her say whatever she was going to say first.

"I um...I just thought you should know. So you don't...um...wait for me."

Wait for her? He frowned. "Wait? Ash, you dumped me, remember?"

"I didn't dump you, I just needed some space! I didn't...you know what? I don't have time for this. I'm sorry. I just though you should know. I...I have to go now. There's someone waiting to use the phone."

"Yeah..." she hung up first. "Bye, Ash," he said quietly, shutting the phone off, still looking apologetically at Ellie. He wondered if she already knew about this or if Ash called him first.

Ellie looked down nervously, feeling like she'd witnessed something that she shouldn't have. "Is everything alright?" she asked softly.

Craig looked back at her, feeling like he'd been dumped all over again. It wasn't that he wasn't over the virus. She just made him feel so frustrated. Every time he started thinking everything was fine, she had to go and…he didn't even want to think about her anymore. He wished he hadn't answered the phone. He should have just…kissed Ellie. Like he wanted to. He turned back to her. "Yeah. No. I'm fine. It's fine." He smiled as he noticed the way the sun caught her hair as she stood in the doorway. He was definitely going to be fine. He licked his lips nervously and stepped toward her again. "So…"

"So…I should really get going," she said quietly, feeling more insecure than she could remember feeling in a really long time. "Thanks for listening though. It really means a lot to know that I can come to you like this. And uh…let me know if Marco calls. Bye!" Her stomach was starting to hurt a little so she took his hand loosely before dropping it and turning again to leave.

Craig was more than a little disappointed when she still said she was going. Maybe he'd totally read her wrong before and she was totally not interested. Maybe…maybe he should just let her go. They were friends. He didn't want to ruin that. But as she turned to go again, he impulsively reached out and snagged her arm again. "Ellie, I…" He pulled her back, gently turning her toward him. He stared at her for just a moment, his eyes once again drawn to her lips. What if she didn't want this? What if…he hesitated again, his heart beating harder and faster than it had in a long time. But if he hesitated too long, he was going to lose his chance. He pressed his lips to hers, a lot harder than he intended to so after a moment, he lightened up a bit, though didn't end the kiss just yet. Softening to a gentle, what he hoped to be romantic, peck. After a few more moments, he backed up, staring at her wide-eyed, a little terrified of what her reaction might be.

When Craig kissed her, Ellie had no idea how to react. She wanted it. She was just confused by it. She was still worried about Marco, and she didn't know how to deal with…this right now. And Craig just got a call from Ashley and it was obvious to her that it was bothering him. She had no idea what Ashley said, but it could be anything. She wasn't sure if he'd kissed her to prove something to himself, or to get back at Ashley…or because he honestly wanted to. "I'm sorry, but I can't do this right now. I need…I need to go. I will call you later," she said as she quickly turned and left.

"Stupid!" Craig berated himself, flopping down on the sofa after Ellie was gone. He'd totally blown it. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He banged his head back against the back of the couch. It wasn't as effective as a wall would be, but it was the best he could do. He let out a frustrated sigh and closed his eyes for a few moments, then absently reached over for the guitar. It wasn't as good as the one that had stolen…it wasn't his, but it did the trick. He picked it up and began playing a few lines of the new song. My Inspiration. He let out another frustrated sigh as he realized how badly he'd screwed up this time. He may as well just give up! He began playing his other project song.

Influenza.


	4. Scene 4

A/N: Warning—This section does contain derogatory words, etc, regarding sexual orientation. We obviously don't condone the language/attitude, but it was necessary for the storyline. Also, this chapter is slashy. If it's gonna bug you, probably shouldn't continue reading ;).

For those who can translate Italian, no it isn't a goof (those who don't, it's not a big detail, so no worries ;) )

Thank you Chibi Lauryn and I-Shave-Clowns for your reviews! They're much appreciated!

Oh, and one more note, because I haven't actually remembered to add it to previous chapters: This story was co-written by Serenity (writing as Ellie and Craig) and Chaos (writing as Marco, Craig, and several minor characters).

On to scene 4.

Though he'd been a complete mess by the time he'd fled home, Marco had pretty much gotten himself back together by the time he reached Craig's. It had been one of the worst days of his life. He'd known that coming out to his papa was not going to be easy, but he hadn't been prepared for just how horrible it had actually been.

_Filth!_

He could have lied, he supposed, and told his papa that Cam was gay but that he himself wasn't. He could have lied. In hindsight, he probably should have. Except that his ma would not approve. For that matter, he wouldn't either. He didn't like to lie. Besides, he wanted his papa to accept him as he was. Unfortunately, it did not seem probable that acceptance would come any time soon.

_Abomination!_

Marco swept at his eyes one last time and hoped that they didn't look red or swollen. He smiled, though he could feel the falseness of it. At least if Craig noticed, he probably wouldn't say anything. That's why he'd chosen Craig instead of Ellie to come to. She was his best friend, but she also wouldn't let him get away with holding in whatever was wrong. Craig, on the other hand…seemed to have his own secrets, and was a lot less likely to force Marco to reveal his. And right now, he couldn't tell anyone what had happened. He just needed time to let his papa cool down and then focus on figuring out how to fix things. The last thing he needed was a well meaning friend complicating things.

_Pervert!_

The tell-tale sounds of Craig's guitar led Marco to go straight to the garage. He knocked lightly as he peeked in. "Anyone home?" he called, trying his best to act normal. With any luck, Craig would just assume that any awkwardness was just because he'd been away for the whole summer.

_Pathetic fairy!_

Craig was so into his music that it took him a few moments to realize that someone was knocking. At first he thought that he was imaging things, so he continued to play, but then he heard someone's voice and slowly put down his guitar and redirected his attention to his visitor. He broke into a relieved smile as he saw Marco. "Oh hey, Marco! Come on in. I've been trying to reach you for a while."

_That…boy...you let him touch you? Kiss you!_

Marco forced himself to keep smiling, though the game was likely already up. Craig was probably the one who'd called when his papa was so mad that he was ready to throw Marco out. His ma had gotten him calmed down before that had happened, thank goodness, but still, Marco knew that his papa had told someone that he didn't live there anymore. "Oh really?" Marco feigned ignorance. "Sorry. My cell hasn't been working," he added. It wasn't entirely untrue. It wasn't working. Not after his papa threw it against the wall in an angry tirade. "So…" Marco said awkwardly, hoping Craig interpreted as being awkward because they hadn't talked in a couple months. "How've you been? Good summer?" he tried to direct the conversation to neutral territory for a while. He was still a bit of a wreck, and was afraid if Craig started asking questions he'd end up freaking out and blurting out everything. Well, almost everything. Nobody had to know about…everything.

_Don't think I'll pray for your soul, figlia! Not when you bring…this into our house!_

Getting the feeling that something was off, and Craig's attention was drawn to the slightly off color of one of Marco's cheeks. Maybe it was nothing, but…Craig had an uneasy feeling about it; deep in his gut, embedded in his memory. He reached out and touched Marco's shoulder softly. "Marco? Is everything okay?" he asked cautiously. "Ellie was here earlier and she was really worried. She said she tried calling your house and…well…your dad hung up on her."

_Dirty little slut!_

Marco wanted to tell Craig that he was fine. For about ten seconds he really intended to do just that. He forced himself to smile but he couldn't get the words out. His smile slipped and he found himself shaking his head. Everything wasn't fine. His papa hated him. "My papa…" he said shakily, sinking down onto the sofa. He looked at the ground, afraid to look at Craig. Afraid his friend would see how bad it had been. He could still downplay things. "I came out to him…well…he found out, actually," he admitted. He looked up, nervous. He didn't want to make it sound worse than things had really been. It wasn't like his papa abused him or anything. (_Dirty) _One (_little_) slap (_faggot!) _wasn't abuse. No matter how hard it had been. But that wasn't even what was bothering him. It was the things his papa had said. Marco knew it'd been said in ignorance and that it wasn't true (was it?), but that didn't make it hurt any less.

_faggotfaggotfaggot _

Craig's eyes were still drawn to the discolored skin, but didn't want to upset Marco any further. He suspected he knew exactly how that bruise had been caused. But he also knew from experience that it was something _you don't talk about_. He sat down next to his friend and carefully rested his hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. "Hey…it's going to be okay," he assure softly. "You can stay here while you figure things out. I'm sure that Joey won't mind. It's going to be okay," he repeated, rubbing Marco's shoulder reassuringly.

Marco felt his eyes growing wet as Craig began to comfort him. The assurances were exactly what Marco thought he wanted to hear, but as soon as the words were said, all Marco could think about was the fact that it was completely real. His papa truly had found out and had reacted how Marco had always feared. Perhaps worse. He could feel himself trembling a little bit as he leaned into Craig, needing the physical comfort of a hug. He knew that Craig wasn't really a 'hug' sort of guy when it came to other guys (_faggot)_, but he couldn't help it. He needed to be held. "I'm sorry," he apologized, though he didn't back away and hoped that Craig wouldn't push him away. "He…" Marco stopped himself before letting it slip how his papa had slapped him. It wasn't even that it hurt that much. There would probably be a bruise, but it would be minor. And it wasn't that big a deal. At least not physically. It was just the idea that his papa would ever hit him at all that upset him. That was the reason he'd left, but the things his papa had said were far worse than the physical strike. Somehow, that made Marco feel even worse, though. He felt pathetic for being so upset over the stupid things that someone said--even if it was his papa. It was only words. But…"He was so mean," he finally finished his thought, his voice no louder than a whisper.

Knowing in his gut that there was a lot more going on than what that simple admission revealed, Craig nodded and loosely put his arms around Marco's shoulders, wanting to comfort, but feeling quite awkward about it.

Feeling Craig's arms going around him, Marco immediately turned into the embrace, wrapping his arms around Craig and resting his head against Craig's shoulder, needing the comforting hug.

Craig chewed his lip uncomfortably and tried to figure out exactly how to extricate himself from this without being too obvious.

Marco felt it, though, and immediately felt worse. "I'm sorry," he apologized again as he pulled away, getting up again and moving away. He had to focus on not crying, but his papa's words were still echoing in his head and he couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't some truth to the cruel words. He knew Craig wasn't the type who would be comfortable with physical affection, but he'd gone and tried to force it upon him anyway. What was wrong with him! (_Pervert!_) He moved further away yet. "I'm sorry I'm such a...mess. I didn't mean anything," he apologized again, looking away guiltily.

Craig's heart melted and he rose quickly to his feet. "No! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you away like that. It's just that…it's just…" he stopped, seeing how close Marco seemed to be to breaking down. Craig wanted to comfort him so badly, but he just wasn't good at that sort of thing. He had no idea what he was doing. But Marco had been there for him so many times. When his dad died. His repeated problems with Ashley. His creative blocks. Everything. Marco was always there. Supporting, comforting, inspiring, anything he needed. And he wanted to return the favor. So…pushing aside the awkward feelings he moved closer to Marco again, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy. "Shhh. It's going to be okay," he repeated, pulling him closer. After a few moments, he set back on the sofa, pulling Marco down with him. He held Marco, a lot firmer than before, quite possibly overcompensating for the way he'd held back before. But this time he realized he didn't care.

For a moment, Marco tensed as Craig grabbed him into a tight hug. But the he sensed that this time Craig didn't mind it at all. He wrapped his arms back around Craig and leaned into him again, leaning his head against his friend's shoulder. He felt a few tears break free and roll silently down his cheek and closed his eyes, relaxing slightly as he felt Craig's hand rubbing his back comfortingly.

"Shhhh," Craig soothed again, shifting a little bit as he tried to get into a more comfortable position. He was slightly cowed as he felt Marco relaxing, melting against him, and…it felt right. Impulsively he kissed Marco's forehead lightly, like he'd often done when comforting Angie when she was upset. He could feel his shoulder getting slightly wet and realized that Marco had begun to cry. The worst kind of tears, too; the ones that aren't for attention or anything. The silent kind. The ones that come only when you're so miserable that you couldn't hold them in any longer. For just a moment, Craig felt a spark of anger aimed at Marco's father. He didn't know what the man had said or done, but if he were here right now, Craig wasn't sure he'd be able to control his temper. But the man wasn't there. And Marco needed him. He gently wiped the tears from Marco's cheeks. He smiled sadly as Marco's eyes opened and peered up at him in surprise. He kissed Marco's forehead again.

Marco clung harder to Craig, smiling slightly against his shoulder as he blinked to stop the tears from continuing. He felt warmed as Craig tenderly wiped the tears from his cheek. Instinctively he closed his eyes again and pressed back against the hand without even realizing he was doing so.

"It's going to be okay," Craig repeated softly and leaned forward, closing his eyes as he moved to kiss Marco's forehead again. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

Marco felt so much better. He'd just really needed to be comforted, and Craig was being so amazing. He had to tell Craig how much he appreciated everything he was doing. His eyes still closed, he moved his face out of the crook of Craig's neck so that he could speak. He became suddenly aware of Craig's lips. Grazing softly against his.

His body moved on pure instinct, shifting slightly to let more of Craig's weight fall against him, simultaneously arching into his touch.

Whoa.

Craig's eyes flew open and he realized that the kiss intended for Marco's forehead had somehow been redirected to Marco's lips. He was about to pull away quickly, but something stopped him. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Marco. And there was something else…something…very confusing. But he realized that this kiss…was not entirely unwelcome. His heart sped slightly with nervousness and confusion, and he slowly pulled back just enough to breathe and tried to wrap his head around what had just happened. He knew he wasn't gay. He liked girls, he _liked Ellie, _but…there was something really intriguing about holding Marco…_kissing_ Marco. His eyes widened slightly, and for a moment he felt a slight panic. He didn't really think that, did he? Not that there was anything wrong with it. He just wasn't…he couldn't be; he liked Ellie!

It wasn't until Craig pulled away that Marco opened his eyes. He tensed as he saw the stunned look on Craig's face. Oh God. Craig hadn't…hadn't wanted that. What had he done? (_filthy perverted whore!) _He swallowed hard, staring up into Craig's stunned eyes. "Craig! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…I can't believe I…I didn't…" he stammered, closing his eyes, not wanting to see the look on Craig's face as it sank in that Marco had done it again. When in doubt, kiss Craig. He hadn't meant to do that again. He thought…but that made no sense. Craig wasn't gay, of course he wasn't into the kiss. He liked girls. Totally. Not girly little (_pussy!_) boys like Marco. The kiss was all Marco and wishful thinking. "I'm sorry," he choked out tersely. "I'm sorry, I-I've screwed everything up. You were being so nice and I had to…to ruin everything! I didn't mean to do that…" he swallowed nervously, "again. I know you're not…you're not. Just don't hate me. I won't ever do that again I swear--"

Craig stared back at Marco, his eyes widening more as his friend became increasingly agitated. He had wanted to comfort Marco, but now Marco was clearly more upset than when he'd first come over. 'Oh, yes, I'm so great at this comfort thing,' Craig thought dryly. He wanted to calm Marco and make him forget about whatever had happened with his dad. So he did the only thing he could think of that would undo what he'd just done to upset him. The only thing that felt right at that time. He wasn't really sure what he was doing or if he should be doing it, but he carefully and unsurely leaned down and touched his lips to Marco's again.

Marco wanted this to be real. He really wanted it to be real. But it wasn't. Craig was straight. This was…he didn't know what it was, but it wasn't real. Craig was just so amazing that he'd do something like this just to make Marco happy, but Marco knew it was wrong. And he couldn't let him do it. "Craig," he whispered reluctantly, sinking back, though he really could only move back a fraction of an inch since he was already pressed to the back of the sofa. His lips were only barely not touching Craig's, and it took all his willpower not to close back in that tiny distance. He looked up into Craig's face and couldn't resist reaching out and gently caressing Craig's cheek. For a moment, he couldn't speak but only stared up at him, adoring everything about him at that moment. Marco licked his lips nervously and closed his eyes as he realized that he could still taste Craig on his lips. His breath caught for a moment. He wanted Craig to kiss him again, but it was so wrong. And he had to stop Craig from doing anything that they'd both regret; Craig because he was straight and Marco...because Craig was straight. And someone he could never really have. "Craig," he tried again. "I…I love that you'd do this for me. And I know you mean well," he said softly. "B-but I don't want you to kiss me," he lied, his heart sinking. He couldn't stop himself from correcting the lie by softly adding, "Not when I know you can't mean it."

Craig was a little confused at first. And surprisingly…disappointed. Perhaps even a little hurt. "But…I did mean it," he murmured, blinking as he realized it was true. "I mean I do mean it," he added. "I…I…" He had no idea how to finish that sentence. Actually there were three little words that were on the tip of his tongue, but he could only imagine how weird it would be if he actually said them. He wasn't sure they were true. Though in a weird way he really felt that they were. He looked away for a few moments, trying to figure out what to do. Very slowly his eyes drifted back to Marco's face and his heart beat faster. Marco looked so…Craig wasn't sure how to describe it except that it seemed as if Marco's entire soul was laid bare as he looked up at Craig with so much emotion in his eyes. Hurt. Desire. Fear. Adoration. All of it directed at Craig with an intensity that Craig wasn't sure he'd ever had directed at him before. His heart beat faster and he licked his lips, his eyes locked with Marco's as he slowly lowered his face back toward Marco's, a thousand alarms going off inside his head. He expected Marco to pull away. He'd said that he didn't want this and he was upset. And Craig was supposed to be comforting him. Craig silently assured himself that comforting was exactly what he was trying to do, but he wasn't sure if that was even the real reason anymore. When his lips finally touched Marco's the alarms went silent and he sank deeper into the kiss, beyond listening to reason anymore. Where had reason ever gotten him anyway?

Marco's heart began to race as Craig did the last thing he ever expected. He kissed Marco again. Marco hesitated for only a moment, still afraid that Craig was only kissing him because he thought it was what Marco wanted. Which it was. Marco did want this. And he told himself that Craig wouldn't kiss again if he didn't want it, too.

Pushing the doubt from his mind, Marco began to respond, wrapping his arms around Craig and melting into the kiss.


	5. Scene 5

"What was I thinking?" Ellie bemoaned as she stared listlessly at the ground sitting on the motionless swing. "Just walking out like that?" She frowned, staring straight ahead. Really, it boiled down to is that she got scared. She'd wanted Craig to kiss her, and then when he actually did? She freaked out. What was wrong with her?

She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the swing's chain. She needed to figure this out. She needed to talk to Craig, she decided, getting up off the swing. She needed to tell him that it was okay. That she thought they could actually…actually what exactly? What was she thinking? What did she want? UGH! This was so confusing!

She pulled out her cell phone, intending to call Craig, but quickly realized that she didn't know his number. She clenched her teeth, mad at herself. She'd called Ashley over there about a hundred times. How could she not know the number?

She took a deep breath. She had to calm down. Then she'd remember it. She smiled slightly as it finally came to mind. But even when it did, she couldn't dial it. What was she supposed to say? She couldn't just call him up and say…well…whatever it was she needed to say.

She should just go over there. And…and…talk to him about the kiss. Or…something. Yeah, that was what she would do. Finally coming to a decision, she closed her cell phone again, and slipped it back into her pocket, leaving it on in case Marco called.

Rounding the back of his house, she went straight to the garage and slipped in quietly, figuring that Craig would most likely be angry that she'd scorned him before. He probably wouldn't let her in if he knew she was coming. But it would all be okay once she explained that…she still wasn't sure exactly what she was going to say, actually.

When she opened the door, she saw Marco and Craig sitting together on the couch. Marco must have gotten Craig's call after all. She started to smile with relief when she froze, realizing that they were…kissing? No. No way. That couldn't be happening. Ellie stood there for a moment, frozen in total shock. Watching as the boy she thought she was just starting a relationship with intensely kissing her best friend. Her ex-boyfriend kissing who she'd hoped to be her future boyfriend.

She had to concentrate completely on not freaking out. Especially when Craig's eyes opened and he looked straight at her. She could see that he was about to say something, but she didn't want to hear it. She couldn't deal with this right now. Not again.

Craig's eyes widened as he saw Ellie watching him kiss Marco. He didn't want to hurt Marco, but when he saw the anguished look on Ellie's face, he knew he had to set things right. He just suddenly didn't know what right actually was. He meant it when he kissed Marco. At least he thought he did. It surprised him, but yet it didn't. He wasn't gay. He never really even considered, though, that he could be bi. But…there was just something about Marco that…he didn't know, but he didn't have time to really think about it, because Ellie was leaving. And he really liked her, too. Like really really liked her. He had to set things right with her. He quickly broke away from Marco and rushed after her.

Abruptly it all ended. And just like that not only was Craig not kissing Marco anymore, but he was bolting. For a few moments Marco couldn't breathe. He blinked rapidly, trying to keep himself from crying again. He shouldn't be so upset. He knew that this was wrong, that Craig wasn't really into it. But he'd kissed him anyway. (_Pervert!) _ And it was clear from the way Craig had gone running off that he was completely freaked. Marco wasn't sure if he should go after him, talk to him, tell him that it was all going to be okay? How ironic. Just minutes ago, Marco had been the one needing to hear those same words.

Marco stared after Craig, deciding that he really just needed a few minutes. Marco wondered if maybe he should just leave. Make things easy. Let things cool off and then talk to Craig later, when they'd both had a chance to distance themselves from it. But he couldn't just leave Craig like that. Craig was probably very confused and would need to talk about it. Besides, Marco really didn't have any place else to go. He couldn't go home just yet. And he wasn't ready to face Ellie and her questions. She he'd wait here until Craig was ready to come back and talk about it.

He grabbed a pillow from the sofa and hugged it to his chest, trying to give himself a sense of comfort again. He wiped the new tears from his face and leaned back, closing his eyes.

Ellie was moving so fast that it took Craig nearly two blocks to catch up to her. "Ellie, wait!" he called after her. He finally caught up and passed her enough that he could turn around to face her. "Ellie, stop. Please. We need to talk."

Ellie stopped, but couldn't make herself look at him. "About what? There is nothing to talk about, Craig," she spat out bitterly. "You have made that very clear. Go back to your boyfriend," she added as she turned to walk the other way. It didn't matter that she was heading the wrong direction. It only mattered that she get away from him.

Craig gaped at her for a moment. Boyfriend? He didn't…well…he really didn't know yet what he and Marco were. He wanted to tell her that he and Marco were only just friends, but 'just friends' don't kiss like that. And they certainly don't want to kiss like that again. Craig chewed his lip for a moment, trying to figure out what he could possibly say. He had to think. He didn't know what he wanted, but he knew he had to say something fast or she was going to be gone. And he wanted her. He started to reach out to grab her arm and stop her but…

He looked back at the garage where Marco was waiting for him. Probably freaking out over the way he'd just suddenly taken off like he had. He looked back at Ellie, who was already out of reach and moving fast. He was so frustrated he wanted to scream.

The problem wasn't that he didn't know what he wanted, he realized. It was that…he wanted them both.

He just needed to figure out how to decide. But right then, both of them were probably really upset with him, so which one should he try to fix things with first?

He suspected that fixing things with Marco would be easier. Plus Marco was always really good giving advice. Somehow, though, asking him for advice on how to fix things with Ellie right after they'd kissed didn't seem like such a good idea. It was even less likely that asking Ellie advice for fixing things with Marco would result in anything good.

He decided that he needed to give Ellie a little bit of time to cool off. He watched her hurrying away with a heavy heart, but resigned himself to the fact that there was nothing he could say at this moment to make her listen to him until she had a chance to calm down.

Craig headed back to the garage, and was relieved to see that Marco was still there. He sank back down on the sofa next to him, absently putting his hand on Marco's leg. He looked over at Marco and realized immediately that the other boy'd been crying again. Craig's heart sank as he realized what he'd done, running off like that without telling Marco why. He was such an idiot! Marco probably thought that he freaked out or something and was probably blaming himself. He had to set this right, too. "Marco…"

"It's okay," Marco said sadly. "I understand. You're not gay. It's okay. We can pretend that nothing happened…if you want." It wasn't what Marco wanted. Not at all. But more than anything else, he didn't want to lose one of his best friends.

That would certainly make things easier for Craig. If only that was what he wanted. "Marco…" he started again, absently patting the boy's leg. "I don't want to forget about it." Marco looked up, his expression a mixture of concern and hope. Craig leaned forward and kissed him quickly, assuring him that he meant it. But then came the hard part. "There's just one um…problem."

Marco's expression grew more concerned, but he gave Craig a reassuring smile, encouraging him to reveal the problem.

"You see it's...um...this summer, Ellie and I...well, we've been hanging out a lot. And...I sort of kissed her. Today." Marco's eyes widened and Craig could see that he was about to say something. But Craig continued before Marco could respond. "And...I really like her, Marco. I never meant to do anything to hurt her. Ever. And when I saw her in the doorway just now--"

Marco cut Craig off. "Ellie? Just now?" Realization dawned. Ellie saw them. She saw them kissing. And if Craig kissed her earlier that day, then she probably thought that they were getting together, and then to see Marco kissing Craig…? Ellie had to be feeling pretty terrible right about then. Marco had to go make sure she was okay. He had to make sure that she knew he'd never purposely do anything like this to hurt her. He hadn't known. And her friendship was one of the most important things in his life. He had to talk to her. Right away. He got up quickly. Startling Craig. "I'm going to Ellie's. I need to talk to her…make sure she's okay." He hesitated for a moment, looking down at Craig with a heavy heart. They couldn't be together if it meant losing Ellie's friendship. "I'll be back after." He leaned down and kissed Craig goodbye, afraid that it would be the last time he ever got to kiss the other boy. Then he turned and hurried from the garage, heading to Ellie's to straighten everything out.

Craig's jaw dropped a little at this turn of events. He stared at the empty doorway for a few moments, trying to figure out what he should do next. He let out a long frustrated sigh and flopped back on the sofa, feeling defeated.


	6. Scene 6

Marco hesitated for a moment before knocking on Ellie's bedroom door. Her mom had let him in, but had seemed pretty uninterested in why he was there, and had made absolutely no indication that Ellie was possibly upset or angry. But, if he knew Ellie, she was probably both.

Bracing himself for what was likely to be a hard conversation, he knocked lightly. "El?" he called out softly, hoping that she wouldn't be too mad to let him in.

Ellie just stared at the door for a few moments, contemplating on whether or not she should just pretend she was asleep and ignore him. She knew that the wait was probably making him grow more uncomfortable, but wasn't sure if she cared. She couldn't believe this was happening. Again.

Finally, though, she came to the decision that she needed to at least hear him out. Despite everything, he was her best friend. And she'd get over this. It wasn't like she and Craig were really going out or anything. She'd been stupid to think that they were going to end up getting together or something. She'd just been a summer distraction. While Ashley was away, her guilty conscience reminded her.

That was the worst part, though. She'd expected Craig to go back to Ashley. It was for the best that this had happened, she justified, before she'd let…whatever was happening between them to go any farther. Still, the last thing she'd expected was to find him making out with Marco of all people. She just wasn't sure why this was affecting her quite so much. Sure, she really liked Craig, and had hoped that their kiss had meant something to him. But it was more than that. Why, of all people, did he have to kiss Marco? It wasn't that she was still in love with him, or that she held on to any delusion that they would ever be more than friends--and she was okay with that now, she really was. But it still hurt. And she really didn't want to go through all that pain with another guy. She felt like she was…cursed. Doomed to never find a guy who would love her back.

Unhappily, she turned the doorknob and let the door drift open a few inches.

Marco was tempted to just go in uninvited when Ellie didn't answer her door immediately, but he really didn't want to upset her any further. He also hesitated to knock again, but didn't want to leave things unresolved, either. He thought about trying to start the conversation from the other side of the door, but really, he just wanted to see her. He needed to know that she was okay, and that she was listening to him. He was about to knock again when finally he heard her moving inside the room. He could almost feel her as she stood on the other side of the door, deciding whether or not to let him in. He was only slightly relieved when finally the door crept open a few inches; he still maintained the sinking feeling when Ellie didn't greet him. Despite that, he couldn't help but smile brightly when he saw her for the first time in months, anyway.

"Hey, El," he greeted, pushing past the initial awkwardness of the moment. He knew they'd have to discuss what happened--the sooner, they could clear it up, the better--but first he just wanted to properly greet the best friend he missed so much over the summer. He stepped into the room and pulled her into a hug, knowing that quite possibly she would push him away, but not caring. He couldn't resist. "I really missed you this summer," he murmured into her ear, ignoring the voice in his head telling him he should back off quickly before she could push him away. He missed her so much. He wished that the reunion wasn't marred by the present circumstances.

When Marco hugged her, Ellie couldn't help but hug him back, tightly. She was still angry, but it was nice to have him back again. It had been the first real summer that they'd been apart in…forever. She smiled softly and buried her face against his shoulder. After what seemed like hours, she reluctantly pulled away and sat down on the edge of her bed, not looking up at him. "Did Craig tell you?" she asked quietly.

Marco sat down next to her, nodding slightly as he gave her a weak smile. "Not until after," he answered honestly. "El, I swear I didn't know that you and…you and him were…" he trailed off because he still didn't really know what exactly Craig and Ellie were…or could have been. "I swear I wouldn't have…" he added, placing his hand on her shoulder, hoping she'd look at him and see how much he regretted hurting her--no matter how unwittingly he'd done so. He just wanted her to be happy, and it was clear that she was anything but. Which made him want to fix things even more. "He feels terrible, you know," he informed her, not sure if it would make any difference to her. "He really likes you." He almost hated telling her that part…the selfish part of him was still interested in Craig. But his friendship with Ellie came first. And he thought--much as he hated to admit it to himself--that Ellie and Craig would probably make a much better couple. And Craig wouldn't have to deal with…with all the things that would come with going out with him. He was doing the right thing. Craig and Ellie deserved each other.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Ellie stated flatly, looking straight ahead. "It just shouldn't have happened. Besides, Ashley will be back soon. I…I don't know what I was thinking, going back there tonight. It was stupid. I was just worried." She glanced sideways at Marco. "About you," she clarified. "I'm not interested in him," she liked. "Just…don't even worry about it."

Marco shifted uncomfortably as she mentioned being worried about him. He didn't really want to tell her about what had happened to him yet. He didn't want to worry her or pile any more problems on her plate. It was far more important to him that he know that the thing with Craig wouldn't come between them anyway. How could he not worry about that? He could tell that it mattered to Ellie, too. He hadn't even thought about Ashley, though. He couldn't help but feel worse when Ellie mentioned her. It made what happened even more wrong. He knew he should probably be really upset with Craig for putting them all in that situation, but he couldn't entirely blame Craig, either. He'd kissed back. Never once thinking of Ashley. Or Ellie, though he hadn't any clue that he should have thought of Ellie. But he was now, and he just wanted her to be happy. Even if it meant not pursuing anything with Craig himself. "El...please. Don't lie to me," he requested softly, a glutton for punishment.

Ellie sighed. "Fine. So maybe I am, but it doesn't matter. I don't really want to talk about it right now. I just shouldn't have gone back there, period. It's just that you and Ashley have been gone and Craig…well, he's been there for me, you know. But of course things are going to change now that summer is over. I should have thought of that before I went back to his house tonight. I was just really confused about what happened and I thought…the truth is, I don't know what I thought. Just with you and Ash so far away, I must have let myself think that things were different. And they were. For a while, anyway. But now they're not…if that makes any sense," she tacked on hastily, realizing that she probably wasn't making a whole lot of sense. She was totally confused. And didn't have a clue how to unconfused things other than to just close the subject. "Anyway, the point is that I just want to forget that kiss even happened. I was stupid to think that there was anything real behind it."

The worst part, Marco figured, was that she really believed that. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against himself in a half-hug. "Ellie. Any guy would be lucky to be with you. You're beautiful, smart, original, and fun. It wasn't stupid for you to think there was something there. There was. Is. He really likes you, El. I…I think he was really just trying to make me feel better," he admitted, both to her and to himself. "Craig's not…he's not gay. I really don't know what's happened between him and Ashley, but I really think he's interested in you. And I think…you two would be really good for each other." It really would be better, he silently reminded himself. Even if Craig were bi, he'd be so much better off not opening himself up to all the hurtful things that seemed to come with the territory. Besides, Marco really just needed to focus on fixing things at home. He really didn't need to drag a boyfriend into that mess.

"Marco, you don't have to lie. Craig wouldn't have kissed you just to make you feel better. I mean, who does that anyway? I'm sorry, but from where I was standing, it looked pretty serious to me. You can try to rationalize it any way that you like, but Craig knew exactly what he was doing, and he kissed you because he wanted to. Why else would he have done it? The question is…what do we do now?"

He wished he knew how to answer that. The most important thing, though, was that she understood one thing. "El, I never thought I'd ever have to say this to you, but…no guy is ever going to come between us. You're more important to me than anyone else. If you're interested in Craig…I really think you two would be great for each other. I'm going to just…walk away."

Craig froze as he stood outside Ellie's bedroom door, listening to the two inside. He couldn't just sit back at the garage and do nothing, so he'd followed Marco. Ellie's mom had let him into the house and pointed him in the general direction of her room. He hesitated to enter, though, as he heard the two talking. Part of him was just too nervous to face them, the other…was curious. He wasn't sure whether he should be happy or upset when he heard Marco saying that he'd walk away. While it would make things much easier--letting them decide for him. And he really did want to go out with Ellie. Still, he was a little disappointed that Marco was willing to walk away. He was surprisingly curious about pursuing something with him as well. Well…not "as well" as in both of them, but…well…actually…he raised an eyebrow as the solution came to mind. Of course getting them to agree to it was another story. He continued to listen at the door, hoping for there to be a good opening for him to break into their conversation.

"No, Marco…I can't ask you to do that. It isn't fair. Besides, I don't think that I can be with someone who is confused about their sexuality. I refuse to go through that again. Whether you and Craig hook up or not, I still want to just let this go. Craig doesn't know what he wants, and I'm not going to be his stepping stool to find out. I admit that I am a little angry. I just never thought that this would happen. You know…us being interested in the same guy. It's weird. I just feel so torn right now. And maybe even a little betrayed," she admitted, reluctantly. "I know that this wasn't your fault, but it still hurts."

Craig bit his lip as he heard what Ellie was saying. The thing was…he wasn't confused. And he needed to tell her that. So he made his presence known by stepping into the room. He squatted down before the pair of them so that he was looking up at them, submissively. "What if I'm not confused?" he asked Ellie, looking directly up into her eyes. At the same time, he placed his hand on Marco's leg, hoping that he didn't take it to mean that he was choosing Ellie. He wasn't…well, he was, but he wasn't choosing only Ellie. If they'd have him…he thought his solution to the situation was pretty much perfect. After all, it was clear that the two of them completely adored each other, and he adored them both, and…he hoped he wasn't just being conceited by thinking that just maybe they both really liked him, too. He didn't expect either of them to love him yet, though he hoped that would still come--that he hadn't ruined everything with his incredibly poor sense of timing.

Marco forced himself to keep smiling bravely, looking over at Ellie. He knew that she and Craig were a far better idea, disappointing as it was. But really, it was the best solution. And Ellie deserved to be happy. His smile became more genuine as he gave her an encouraging nod, letting her know that it was okay with him for her to pursue this thing with Craig.

Ellie looked up, startled that Craig was there. How long had he been listening? It took her a few moments to catch up and respond. She blinked at him, unsure. "What do you mean by that?"

A little more confident since he hadn't already been shot down, Craig smiled a little. "You said that I didn't know what I want, but I do. Ellie, I really like you. And I think that we should give things a try." He glanced at Marco out of the corner of his eye, but mostly kept his attention focused on Ellie.

Marco swallowed hard, trying not to let it upset him. It's for the best, he repeated to himself. And he wanted Ellie to be happy. And Craig. And…and it still hurt, even though he didn't want it to. He kept smiling, wondering if there were any way that he could get out of there gracefully, letting them finish this up without him interfering. He'd be fine. He just needed a few minutes to process. But then Ellie's answer came and he forgot about leaving for the moment.

"Yeah, well maybe you should have thought about that before you kissed my best friend. Craig, I really like you too... but... so does Marco. And I can't be with you if it means hurting him."

"El, it's okay," Marco assured her, wrapping my arm around her waist as they sat together. He rested his head against her shoulder. "Really, El. I want you to be happy." He glanced at Craig. "Both of you." He needed to let Craig know it was okay, too. Of course he was disappointed, but he'd get over it. "And I think you're really great together and…and…I want you to go out with him. If you want to. If…if that's what you guys choose."

And here was where Craig knew he was going to have to tread really carefully. He smiled at Marco and chewed his lip for a moment trying to figure out how to word what he was thinking. "What if…what if I don't want to choose between you?" he asked, glancing from one to the other. "What if I have…something else in mind?" he tested the waters.

Marco's brow furrowed in confusion. He didn't have a clue what Craig was getting at. He glanced at Ellie, giving her a slight shrug and a questioning look, hoping she'd clue him in.

"Like what?" Ellie asked, equally confused. It was so tempting to bring up what happened with Craig, Ashley, and Manny at that moment, but she held back from saying it on the sheer principle that she could tell he was having a hard enough time as it was.

"Well…" Craig couldn't figure out how to word his thoughts in a way that wouldn't make them both reject him…and quite possibly slap him. "You two...you're really close. Just...you're so perfect together. You get each other. Right?"

Marco's brow furrowed further as he glanced at Ellie, still unsure what Craig was getting at. It almost sounded like Craig was trying to convince him to go out with her himself. Which didn't make any sense. Still, he did have to agree with the analysis so far. "Yeah…"

"You're like...best friends, right?" Craig waited for Marco to nod. "You...love each other, right?"

"Of course I love Ellie," Marco replied without hesitation as he hugged her tighter against himself. Maybe he was being totally dense, but he still wasn't sure where Craig was going with this.

"And you love Marco, right?" Craig licked his lips nervously, looking at Ellie for confirmation.

Marco opened his mouth, about to remind Craig that Ellie may be perfect for him in every way but one--but that one was a pretty major one, but he decided to hold back and see where this was leading.

"Yes, of course," Ellie replied, getting impatient for Craig to get to the point. "But I still don't see what that has to do with anything. Marco is gay, remember? And besides, I thought we were talking about you."

"Actually, we're talking about all of us." Craig smiled nervously, letting his hand rub Marco's leg absently as he gazed at Ellie. "So…um…you two love each other," he repeated back to them. "And…and I really…I really like both of you. A lot. Not love yet, but…but I think I'm falling for you." He glanced from Ellie to Marco, then back to Ellie. "Both of you." He swallowed nervously, but didn't give either a chance to say anything before plunging ahead. "And unless I'm completely reading you wrong, I think both of you…really like me." He glanced from one to the other again, bracing for one or both of them to start getting mad. Still, he continued on. "What I'm saying is…I don't want to choose one of you. I want both. Not like…cheating. But like…all three of us. Together." He held his breath for a few moments, at last giving them a chance to respond.


	7. Scene 7

All three of them...together? Ellie's initial reaction was to get angry, but after a few seconds she just started to laugh. It was kind of a nervous I-can't-believe-that-after-everything-that-has-happened-today-he-has-the-nerve-to-suggest-such-an-absurd-thing kind of laughter. "You are kidding, right? Is this your way of trying to get us to forgive you and go along with your...crazy little plan just so that can have another 'open' relationship with two people that you obviously don't care enough to remain exclusive to?" She knew she was probably being a little too harsh, but how dare he propose such a thing! It was completely insulting! "Well, you can forget that," she continued. "I can't believe I ever thought we had something! You will never change," she added quietly, her anger barely masking her hurt.

For a few moments, Marco's brain just seemed to stop and he could do nothing but stare mutely at Craig, not believing that he just suggested...what he suggested. He blinked, staring numbly at him even as Ellie spoke her mind. He didn't know whether to laugh because this wasn't even the first time that day that he had been presented with this same idea--though he doubted that Cam was actually serious--or be upset for the same reason. He was sliding rapidly toward upset. His self esteem took another blow. He tried to block out his father's words as they echoed in his head, but this was just another example that proved his father right. He was worthless. He wasn't enough for Dylan, and clearly he wasn't enough for Craig...his gaze started to lower.

Craig opened his mouth to protest, to try and explain to Ellie that it wasn't like that at all. It wasn't just a way to not be exclusive. They would be exclusive! To each other.

As his gaze lowered, Marco saw Craig's lips part and suddenly he was angry. Not so much for his own sake, but for Ellie's. Craig had no right to do this to them. Craig had no right to put Ellie and himself in this position in the first place, and then to further point out that neither of them alone was good enough for him? Marco's eyes narrowed and he rose to his feet, placing himself between Craig and Ellie, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at Craig coldly. He had no right to treat Ellie like that.

"I think you should go," he said quietly, an edge to his voice that was just daring Craig to say whatever it was he was about to say.

Craig's jaw snapped shut as he saw the fury on Marco's face.

He didn't want this to be the end of the discussion. He wanted them to understand that he didn't mean it to be like that. It wasn't so that he could 'legally cheat' or anything like that. It really wasn't! How could he make them realize that?

Oddly, he knew that it wasn't Marco that was going to be his best chance at resolving this problem. Marco might usually be the most accepting person he knew, but it was quite clear that this misunderstanding had struck a nerve that wouldn't easily be smoothed over.

He looked over at Ellie, hoping that maybe she would let him explain. If she okayed it, he was pretty certain that Marco would follow her lead. He licked his lips and opened his mouth again to speak, stepping back as Marco tensed, and the normally peaceful boy's eyes grew darker than Craig had ever seen them. Craig's mouth went dry and he could feel the color draining from his face at the complete shock at having managed to upset Marco this badly. He backed up another step.

"Wait," Ellie said to Marco, even though she wanted Craig to leave, too. He'd certainly done enough for one day, but she did care about him, and she didn't want him to think that she hated him or anything. She didn't know what to say to him, though. He'd hurt her, and Marco. And then totally insulted them with that...crazy idea of his.

She placed a hand on Marco's shoulder, a little taken-aback by his reaction, too. This wasn't normal, though she could see something that Craig couldn't. Behind the apparent fury she could see the hurt, betrayed look on her best friend's face. And she could sense that most of his anger was on her behalf. She almost smiled, but couldn't quite. But he was right; it was time for Craig to leave. She just didn't see any way that she could talk to him right then. And she could see that Marco's mask of anger was about to crack.

"Never mind. Just... go. I think it's best."

For a moment, Craig was sure that he was going to get an opening to plead his case and calm them down, but something about the way Ellie spoke, and the way that Marco was still glaring at him, he realized that once again, he'd managed to completely fuck up. Not just a little. He was such a moron! He wanted to explain it to them, so they could understand that the last thing he wanted was for them to be insulted, hurt, or angry. Which was exactly what they both were. But his head was reeling from the rejection and he didn't know what he could possibly say to change their minds. He needed time to think. He needed to get out of there. They were right.

He nodded, defeated, and turned around. He slowly left the room hoping that miraculously by the time he reached the door, he'd think of the exact perfect thing to say. But of course he didn't. So he paused only long enough to throw an apologetic look over his shoulder at them. Then he was out, hoping that it was before they could notice the way his hands were shaking. What had he done? How could he have possibly fucked everything up this badly?

He waited until he was out of their sight, then bolted, needing to get home, anywhere where nobody could see him while he freaked out. He felt the urge to...break things. Throw things. Scream in frustration. No wonder Ashley hated him. No wonder his two best friends in the world were probably going to hate him forever. He was such a...he was just like his dad. The internal rage was immediately squelched and he deflated; all thoughts of destruction gone. He'd done enough of that today.

Marco felt all the anger rush out of him as Craig left. He sank back down on Ellie's bed, exhausted and upset. He couldn't believe Craig...but he couldn't stay mad, either. He felt really bad that he'd run Craig off like that. Which was stupid, he told himself. Craig deserved a bit of anger, didn't he? So why did he feel so rotten about it? And why had he let this affect him so much? Was it just because his emotions were so raw from his encounter with his father? Or was it really Craig's thoughtless actions? He looked up at Ellie, feeling helpless. He hoped that she assumed that all the pain he could no longer hide was completely attributed to what had just happened. He still wasn't ready to discuss what happened at home.

Ellie smiled weakly as she sank down next to her best friend and laid her head against his shoulder, relaxing a little as his arm slid around her shoulders and he kissed her forehead softly.

By the time Craig reached home, he just felt numb. He'd blown everything, and he had to fix it. He just wished he knew how. Joey and Angela were watching some cute cartoony movie and he just wasn't in the mood, so he went to the garage and picked up his guitar, needing to work his frustration out somehow and this was the most constructive way. Construction, not destruction.

He loved them both. He really did. It wasn't just...selfishness that made him make that suggestion. As his fingers worked over the frets, he found himself gazing at the doorway, imagining Ellie there watching him. He imagined their all-too-brief moment together. His lips against hers. Her breath against his cheek. He closed his eyes, blocking out the image before it could depress him further--knowing what he'd lost. He turned away from the door, only to find himself staring at the couch. And the images of himself and Marco. He looked up at the ceiling, ignoring the tears that rolled silently down his cheek.

Ellie lay alone in her room long after Marco finally headed home for the night. She glanced at the phone, wanting to call...Craig. But she couldn't. It had become the natural thing to do while Marco and Ashley were away, but now she couldn't do it. She rolled away from the phone and stared blankly at the other wall. She didn't want to think. If she thought, she'd only get upset. And she was feeling something that she hadn't felt in while.

The temptation.

She rolled onto her back and stared instead at the ceiling, willing  
herself to just go to sleep. Things would be better tomorrow. They had  
to be.

She was exhausted, physically and emotionally, but the clock ticked on  
and she was no closer to sleep than before. It was going to be a long  
night.

Marco wrapped his arms across his chest, shivering though it wasn't really all that cold out. Maybe it was just that his body hadn't adjusted back to Canadian temperatures.

But he didn't think so.

It was more to do with the fact that he was out walking the streets. Alone. After dark.

And he had no place to go.

He couldn't go home. He'd been there briefly. Long enough to learn that his father had not yet cooled off. Long enough to take another emotional beating as he was again rejected and belittled by someone he thought loved him. (_Worthless faggot)_

He couldn't go to Craig's, even though the offer had been made. The reasons were obvious. Though he really wasn't that mad at Craig, if he went there now...he felt weak. And needy. And if Craig were seriously interested, he wasn't so sure that he'd be strong enough to say no. And he couldn't ever do that to Ellie.

He couldn't go to Ellie's, either. Not that he wasn't completely positive that she would welcome him and would completely understand and would comfort him like he needed to be comforted. But she had enough to deal with without him dumping this in her lap, too. She couldn't know how bad things suddenly were at home. Besides, he figured, this would all blow over soon. A day or two and his dad would come around.

But that didn't help him tonight.

He shivered again and flinched as he became aware of something moving in the bushes ahead. For a moment froze, irrationally terrified that this was going to be like the night he got bashed. But then a squirrel darted from the bush and up a tree. He relaxed only slightly, though, still freaked at being out here alone.

It was clear that he couldn't just stay out here.

Maybe he could go to Jimmy's? With that in mind, he started the long trek. As he neared the park, though, he grew tenser. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

He felt foolish even as he turned around, but the truth of the matter was he was still a little freaked out to walk past the park alone after dark. Which left out Jimmy's place. He was probably with Hazel, anyway. And if Hazel found out that he wasn't able to go home, everyone would know. Same if he went to Paige's or Manny's. Besides, if he went to one of them, and the other found out, there'd probably be hurt feelings or arguments that he just didn't need. He didn't even know where Alex lived.

Which left only one idea. One he wasn't sure was such a great idea, but it was clear that he was going to drive himself crazy if he stayed out alone. And this person wouldn't ask questions. Nor would he tell anyone. There'd be no one for him to tell.

His decision made, a few minutes later he found himself knocking on a door he really never expected to be at again. He folded his arms across his chest again, lowering his gaze as he waited for the door to open...or not. He wasn't sure that he'd be welcome here.

"Marco?" a sleepy voice asked, and he looked up, not having even heard the door open. He looked up at Spinner's surprised face and suddenly came to the realization that this was probably a really bad idea. He hadn't even talked to Spinner since...in a long time. And he felt like he was being a traitor to Jimmy. Still, when he saw Spinner's expression change from one of surprise to one of concern, he felt a little better about being there. Especially when--without him even saying a word--Spinner opened the door and motioned him to come in.

End

Has Craig ruined his chances with Ellie? Has Craig ruined his chances with Marco? Will he give up on his idea of a "Crelco"-ship? What will happen between Marco and his dad?

These questions (and many more) will be addressed in future episodes of SerenityChaos' Virtual Season Five.

(Credits for this ep: Serenity as Ellie and some Craig, Chaos as Marco, Joey, some Craig, and the minor characters appearing in scene 2.)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it really means a lot. Stay tuned for the next episode!


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